If you're looking for a really affordable smartphone gimbal, look no further than the
Hohem iSteady X.
And in this video I'll give you an overview plus some basic instructions on how to use
it.
Priced at $70 you get a full featured 3-axis gimbal capable of stabilizing smartphones
that weigh up to .62 pounds.
Inside the box it comes with a fabric carrying case, USB-C charging cable, wrist strap, tripod,
the gimbal itself and an instruction manual.
The iSteady X also only weighs about half a pound so it's very light and compact when
folded.
But to put this to use you have to loosen the nut on the arm and then flip the phone
clamp up.
Then twist the handle counter-clockwise to unlock it.
On the handle you'll find the shutter button, camera orientation button and joystick.
On the left side is a zoom slider and on the right is the USB-C charging port.
On the bottom there's a quarter inch tripod hole plus a loop for the wriststrap.
The included tripod is actually a stubby plastic handle which gives the gimbal more to hold
onto.
And it simply screws onto the bottom of the handle extending the grip.
This tripod is pretty small but it's enough to hold the gimbal upright on a flat surface.
Oh and before use, don't forget to tighten the nut on the folding clamp.
I forgot to do that earlier.
The phone clamp is rubberized to prevent scratches and on the top there's a sticker showing which
way to mount the phone.
One thing you need to know is the iSteady X has to be activated to work.
Which means you'll have to download the Hohem Pro app for iPhone or Android.
As part of the activation you will have to create a Hohem account before the gimbal will
even work.
And if you don't complete the registration first the motors won't activate even when
the iSteady X is powered on.
But as soon your account is set up the gimbal comes to life and it's ready to stabilize
your phone.
But let's get outside and I'll show you how the buttons control the different modes.
I'll start by using the joystick to move the head around.
This is useful to help make minor adjustments to keep the camera pointed where you want
it.
With the joystick I can also change the tilt.
But if the camera gets out of whack you can double click the power button and the motors
will automatically realign to center.
A single click of the power button will quickly switch the phone from landscape to portrait
orientation and then back again.
Next I'll go over the stabilization modes.
And to activate these modes you need to hold the shutter button down while clicking the
power button.
In default mode, the green LED is solid.
This is called Pan and Tilt Follow.
With this the phone follows the rotation of the handle basically keeping track of where
the back of the handle is pointing.
And if I tilt the handle the phone will follow the up and down movement so I can shoot things
that are above and below me.
When you hold the shutter button and click power twice, the iSteady X goes into Pan Follow
mode with the green LED blinking twice in a row.
Again the camera follows the rotation of the handle.
But when I try to tilt the camera is locked in it's horizontal plane.
And as I move my arm forwards and back the camera won't point up or down.
So this allows me to pan left and right but there's no tilt.
Now hold the shutter button and click the power button 3 times for All Lock Mode.
In this mode the camera is always facing the same point of interest no matter where the
handle is moved or rotated.
The camera is basically locked in place.
But you can adjust the point of interest with the joystick if needed.
The last mode has the green LED blinking 4 times.
This is POV Follow mode.
This is very much like the first mode in that it allows Pan and Tilt follow.
But main difference between mode 1 and mode 4 is that when I do a side tilt the camera
also tilts.
Unlike mode 1 where the camera stays locked in the horizontal plane.
Overall the motors on the iSteady X provide very smooth stabilation for shooting video.
And I think that $70 for a 3-axis gimbal is pretty affordable for almost anyone wanting
to shoot better video footage.
You should also know that after the iSteady X has been registered you can actually use
it without the Hohem app.
Allowing you to use your smartphone's built in camera app.
But if you want shutter control and other features you'll have to use the iSteady X
along with the Hohem Pro app.
And here's a final tip, when I'm shooting I always have the tripod handle attached just
to give me more to hold onto.
But the detachable tripod is what makes this so portable that I can take this with me almost
anywhere.
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